To Communicate for Those Who Cannot:
Writing in
Speech-Language Pathology
Writing in Speech-Language Pathology
What
if you could not hear or speak or communicate at all? One young
boy who lost many of his language abilities after experiencing a seizure battled
with this, and Elizabeth Delsandro wanted to help him. As she helped him
through therapy in high school, Delsandro discovered her passion for
Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), a profession committed to working “to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language,
social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in
children and adults” (ASHA
2016). As the years progressed, Delsandro went
to undergraduate and graduate school, and eventually was certified as an SLP in
1992. As she settled into her new job, she discovered that writing was a
significant part of her profession, in which one has to be a
"very keen observer of human behavior, and be able to communicate that in
writing" (2016).
I
conducted an interview with Delsandro, asking a range of questions related to
writing in her field. The role of this report is to inform high school students
on the four main types of writing that speech pathologists use: observational
writing about clients, research papers, emailing and blogging, and grant
proposals. This discussion will be based on both academic and non-academic
sources, as well as the words of Delsandro herself.
Observational
Writing on Clients
Observational
writing is at the foundation of Speech Pathology writing. Every single day SLPs
interact with their clients, taking notes on the client’s behavior, progress,
and overall abilities. Observational is considered academic writing, and can
serve two distinct purposes: to inform the client, or to inform professional
agencies.
The
client and his or her family is the SLP’s highest priority, and they are in
constant communication. The SLP provides notes and summaries that enable the
client to participate in the treatment by staying updated on the caseworker’s
observations, feedback, and plans for the future. The content of these
observational reports is unique to each case, but the style is always concise,
short, and objective, using non-technical language that the client can
understand. For example, in the report titled “Speech/Language Evaluation
Report,” the SLP is sure to give easy to understand instructions for the client
and client’s family: “Provide opportunities for the child to comment by
creating situations where she requests one item and you give her another while
leaving time for her to comment” (Gorska, 2013). Furthermore, in the interview
with Delsandro explains the length of these reports as “a paragraph per client”
(2016). However, these reports become longer when addressed to a professional
counterpart instead of a client.
Observational
reports for professional agencies are written for insurance companies, schools,
and other authorities working closely with the case. One good example is an
online report titled “Speech Language Evaluation Report” (2014) on a client
named Olivia Brown, which informs insurance companies and other related
authorities of the nature of this young girl’s language impairment and
recommended course of action. The report clearly addresses its purpose when it states
at the beginning that it was “proposed in order to determine if Olivia meets
the Tennessee Department of Education eligibility standards as language
impaired” (Chatty, 2014). Not only does the report need to clearly address
clients, but also it needs to clearly present the content.
Because
the authorities need to make an informed decision about treatment,
observational reports contain detailed information about the client, including what
she said and how she acted, for example, “Olivia was friendly, and she
exhibited a good sense of humor” (Chatty, 2014). The report is most often
written with a thorough yet brief history of the client’s condition, an evaluation
of the client in the present, other important observations, and a proposal for
future plans. This writing involves “telling
a story about the client,” according to Delsandro. (2016). The style and
structure are somewhat different from the clients’ observational notes, as
these reports tend to be lengthier, but still concise, clear, and objective. Because
these reports can be quite long, headings and definitions are very important to
lead the audience. For example, the for Olivia Brown provides clear points
using signposts throughout: "III. INTERVENTION GOALS AND PROGRESS,” “IV
IMPRESSIONS,” and “V RECOMENDATIONS” (Chatty, 2014) SLPs often also use
visualization methods to build their case. For example, in the Language
Evaluation Report, the SLP provides this graph:
Figure 1 (Chatty, 2016)
Although
these observational reports are an invaluable part of an SLP’s day to day
writing and communicating to either their client or authorities connected to
the case, there are other extremely valuable pieces of writing an SLP must do,
for example, writing on research.
Research
Papers
Conducting research in speech
pathology is considered a valuable addition to the job, and must be followed up
with competent writing about the findings. The role of the research paper is to
inform the audience about a specific project, experiment, or undertaking,
related to SLP, prompting discussion between professionals on the topic. These
academic sources have an audience that is generally limited to professional SLPs
with a specific interest in the area being researched. The content of these papers
may include results, findings, theories, or predictions. For example, the
research paper titled “The Effects of Parental Training on Early Intervention
in Speech Language Pathology” (2011) clearly shows what content the audience
can expect. Without proper writing, however, SLPs cannot communicate their
research effectively.
The style of these lengthy research
papers must be very formal, objective, clear, and concise. These papers are
often the result of years of research with many specific points to discuss. The
writing tends to have a very technical, professional style because the audience
is made up of only SLPs. For example, in the previously mentioned research
paper, author Lindsey Tabor uses very professional, exact language: “[the
researchers] evaluated the efficacy of a six-month course of responsivity
education/pre-linguistic milieu teaching (RE/PMT) for children with
developmental delay” (2011). Additionally, the structure of these pieces must
be very organized, like the observational reports, as they too are building a
case for their audience. Each research paper begins with an abstract that
summarizes it, and contains multiple sections, divided up using headings and
subheadings. These papers are always very technical, including page numbers,
footnotes, quotations, and visual aids, such as graphs and charts as shown
previously. Research papers are an invaluable way for SLPs to share information
with other professionals in their field. However, there is a casual way SLPs
share their information: blog posts and emails.
Personal
Blog Posts and Emails
SLPs do not always need a formal
platform for sharing findings or observations, even tips. Blogging and emailing
provides them with a non-academic outlet or means to share ideas and thoughts
without pages of research or evidence. The purpose of this category is to
inform the audience on simpler or shorter subjects. The audience may be graduate
students, clinicians, or professors. Some may be only interested in a specific
area you are studying as an SLP, while another may just be curious how you
conduct your visits day to day, and others are just colleagues you email daily.
For example, in the online blog post titled “Speech Sound S. How to Stimulate
the s/s Sound,” (2016) it is obvious that this is written for an audience of
practicing SLPs who need to stimulate a specific sound. The online platform is
an objective and informative place for SLPs to learn and share their own
methods. Some blogs, like the one mentioned above, remain professional, while
others become more subjective, yet still informative. For example another blog
post titled “Making Worksheets Fun and Functional,” (2016) is written to inform
any SLP interested in tips that might be applicable to their field. Blog posts
are driven by personal interest rather than necessity. Emails are written for
convenience, informing colleagues of bits of information or facts they should
be aware of. Although this category can become casual, style and structure
still remains an important aspect of the writing.
Style and structure for blog posts and emails vary,
depending on the subject and audience. However, because SLPs are busy and know
their colleagues are busy too, they are sure to convey their message
efficiently. Additionally, they often remain professional and clear, giving the
audience main points and evidence. Although
we have discussed three important categories for writing as an SLP, there is
one last valuable category: grant proposals.
Grant
Proposals
The last, and very unique, writing
category for SLPs is grant proposals. These are created when an SLP seeks to be
funded by organizations or individuals for a specific purpose, such as research
or requesting items needed for a clinic. For example, the proposal titled
“Speech & Hearing Clinic: iPads, Charging/Syncing Cart for Speech/Language
Therapy,” (2013) aims to convince the organization to grant funds for these
items. The audience for this writing is specific, often with specific
requirements for the proposal. The SLP must understand and meet these
requirements. For example, the proposal mentioned above provides
concise information that the organization requires: “As students, it is
critical that devices such as iPads are available in our clinic so we can learn
to use them with maximum effectiveness” (Nevdahl, 2013). The purpose of
this type of writing is not just to inform, but also to persuade, impacting the
style of writing.
The
SLP must remember that their grant proposal audiences are important people who
are looking for professional, concise, thorough writing, rather than just
technical rhetoric. Delsandro explained it well when she said, "Writing
a grant is like following a formula” (2016). Each grant is unique and although
the overarching purpose—to persuade—never changes, the theme and style of the
piece does. It is also important to note that these proposals are considered
non-academic because the SLP writing it has a clear bias, although they
maintain a professional manner in the writing. An affirmative answer to a grant
proposal can be a milestone in the SLP’s career, and can change the lives of
their clients.
Conclusion
This
report aimed to inform high school students of the four main purposes of
writing for a speech pathologist: observational writing on clients, research
papers, emailing and blogging, and proposals for grants. As is clear from
Delsandro’s story, passion is the first step in pursuing a career like SLP.
However, understanding how to communicate effectively through writing is also
crucial. Whether it is through having a clear purpose, understanding the
audience, or writing in an effective manner, words undoubtedly have power and
impact. Delsandro emphasizes that practicing and learning
foundational writing skills are key to being a good writer in the field,
because “Ultimately, we have to write about what we do, and you have to be an
effective writer” (2016).
References
Chatty M. (2014). Language Evaluation Report (Rep.).
Gorska, A. (2013). SPEECH/LANGUAGE EVALUATION REPORT
(Rep.).
Nevdahl, M. (2013). Speech & Hearing Clinic: IPads,
Charging/Syncing Cart for
Speech/Language Therapy
(Rep.).
Secord, W., Van Riper, C., Erickson, R., Williams, A., &
McCauley, R. (2011, September).
Speech Sounds S. How to Stimulate
the /s/ Sound [Web log post]. Retrieved February 1,
2016, from
http://www.speechlanguage-resources.com/speech-sounds-s.html
Sherman, H. (2016, February 9). Making Worksheets Fun and
Functional [Web log post].
fun-and-functional/
Speech-Language Pathologists - Job Description and Career
Information. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 1, 2016, from
http://www.asha.org/Students/Speech-Language-Pathologists/
Tabor, L. M. (2011, March 19). THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL TRAINING ON EARLY
INTERVENTION IN SPEECHLANGUAGE
PATHOLOGY [Scholarly project]. In
OpenSIUC.
Retrieved January 28, 2016, from
http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1070&context=gs_rp
